Why have my laying hens stopped laying?

There can be several reasons why laying hens have stopped laying but with a little bit of detective work, you can normally work out why your birds aren’t laying.Generally speaking, all chickens will stop laying when they go through a moult as the protein that was being used to produce eggs is diverted to feather production. This is usually in late summer / autumn although pullets and cockerels (chickens under one year old) will not normally moult in their first year.

Here are some reasons why chickens stop laying:

Moult – Feathers are 80% protein so during feather growth, protein is diverted from egg production.

Insufficient light – Chickens ideally need 14-16 hours per day. Typically laying hens stop laying between late September and February in the UK.